Cafeography
Amsterdam · Oud-Zuid

Cafés in Oud-Zuid

The Vondelpark and its pavilions, the museums on Museumplein and the coffee bars of Willemsparkweg and Hoofddorpplein.

Photo: Vinicius A. Nascimento, Pexels License

Oud-Zuid grew around the Vondelpark. In 1864 a group of wealthy residents commissioned Jan David Zocher to design a public park just outside the city, and villas soon lined its edges.1 The park opened on 15 July 1865 as Het Nieuwe Park and took the poet Joost van den Vondel's name in 1880. It covers 47 hectares and draws about 10 million visits a year.2

To the east, Museumplein was laid out after the Rijksmuseum was completed in 1885; the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk and the Concertgebouw stand on it too.3 The streets beyond are named after composers, writers and artists.1 For coffee, the park itself has more cafés than any street around it, from a modernist tea house to a beer garden.

Local tip: On a cold day, head for the Blauwe Theehuis: it heats its terrace in winter and stays open until 23:00 from Thursday to Saturday.5

At a glance

53Cafés listed
26With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Akhi 'n Friends, from 07:00 (Tue–Sun 07:00–15:00).
  • Closes latest: Cafe Vertigo, until 01:00 (Mon–Thu 11:00–23:59 · Fri–Sat 11:00–01:00 · Sun 11:00–23:59).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (30%), indoor seating (30%), wheelchair access (19%).

Corner Bakery Amsterdam

  • Johannes Vermeerstraat 40
  • Mon–Fri 09:00–16:00 · Sat–Sun 09:00–17:00
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Coffee chains in Oud-Zuid

The pavilions of the Vondelpark

The Blauwe Theehuis (Blue Tea House) replaced a chalet-style tea house that burned down in 1936. Brothers Herman and Jan Baanders designed the new one in the modernist nieuwe bouwen style: a round building of concrete, steel and glass with blue-painted balconies and pillars, now a national monument.4 Brouwerij 't IJ, the Amsterdam brewery, runs it, and outdoor heaters keep its terrace in use in winter.5

The Groot Melkhuis at Vondelpark 2 has been a grand café since 1874, with a playground and what it bills as the largest terrace in Amsterdam; it opens daily from 10:00 to 20:00.6 Café Vertigo occupies the Vondelpark Pavilion, built by 1878 as a clubhouse for the city's bourgeoisie.1 The café ran in the basement of the former film museum from the 1980s until 2012 before reopening in the renovated pavilion.5

De Vondeltuin, a beer garden at the park's southern tip, serves coffee as well as beer, with a play area for children.5

Coffee on Museumplein

A 1999 redesign by Sven-Ingvar Andersson put a car park and a supermarket under Museumplein, and its pond becomes a skating rink in winter.3 For coffee between museums, the Rijksmuseum's Garden House sits among the sculptures of the museum garden, and the Stedelijk's Fonda Bar, in the renovated entrance hall, is open to everyone.7

Café Restaurant Sandberg shares the Stedelijk's address, Museumplein 10, and opens at 10:00, staying open until 20:00 from Wednesday to Saturday. Blushing on Paulus Potterstraat serves daily from 08:00 to 18:00.

Willemsparkweg, Hoofddorpplein and Stadionplein

Away from the park, the coffee is on the residential shopping streets. The Coffee District at Willemsparkweg 8 opens at 07:30 on weekdays, and Clapham Speciality Coffee is further along the same street at number 152. Caffè Belmondo on Zuidplein and Sticky Fingers on Amstelveenseweg both open at 07:00 on weekdays.

In the Hoofddorpplein neighborhood, Pipes + Beans serves Colombian-roasted specialty coffee and sets aside half of its tables for laptops.5 Buno Coffee is on the square itself, open from 08:00 on weekdays. On Saturdays the Zuidermarkt fills a tree-lined square behind the Concertgebouw with local produce.1

Sources

  1. Oud-Zuid then and now, I amsterdam (updated June 5, 2025), accessed October 2026
  2. Vondelpark, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Museumplein, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Blauwe Theehuis, Wikipedia (Dutch), accessed October 2026
  5. Restaurants and bars in Oud-Zuid, I amsterdam (October 7, 2025), accessed October 2026
  6. Groot Melkhuis, Groot Melkhuis, accessed October 2026
  7. Best museum cafes in Amsterdam, I amsterdam (updated October 15, 2026), accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Oud-Zuid cafés: questions

Which cafés are inside the Vondelpark in Amsterdam?

The Vondelpark has several cafés. The Blauwe Theehuis is a round modernist pavilion from 1936–1937 with a heated terrace. The Groot Melkhuis has been a grand café since 1874 and has a playground. Café Vertigo is in the Vondelpark Pavilion, and De Vondeltuin is a beer garden at the southern tip that also serves coffee.

When was the Blauwe Theehuis in Amsterdam's Vondelpark built?

The Blauwe Theehuis was built in 1936–1937 after an earlier chalet-style tea house burned down in 1936. Brothers Herman and Jan Baanders designed it in the modernist nieuwe bouwen style, as a round building of concrete, steel and glass. It is a national monument and is run by Brouwerij 't IJ, the Amsterdam brewery.

Where can you get coffee near Museumplein in Amsterdam?

The Rijksmuseum has the Garden House in its sculpture garden, and the Stedelijk's Fonda Bar in the entrance hall is open to everyone. Café Restaurant Sandberg, at Museumplein 10, opens at 10:00. Blushing on Paulus Potterstraat serves from 08:00 to 18:00 every day.

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